Delhi has agreed to buy several dozen Apache and Chinook helicopters from Boeing, in a $3bn deal that comes as the US and India try to reinvigorate a commercial relationship that has long been dogged by trade tensions.
Speaking after the inaugural “Strategic and Commercial Dialogue”, Penny Pritzker, US commerce secretary, said the Boeing deal was a “clear indication of Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi’s leadership in improving the ease of doing business in his country”.
While the meeting was aimed at strengthening ties and boosting trade — with a goal of a fivefold increase — analysts saw it as an effort by both nations to counter the rise of China in the Asia-Pacific region.